Background
There has been a desire for a number of years to have a screen attached to a window so that the screen is automatically moved into a position covering the opening as the window is opened. Not all of these have proven to be acceptable since it is difficult to effectively seal the edges of the screen.
Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 1,039,411 discloses a vertically movable, double sash window. A series of folded metal strips are used to connect the screen to the interior face of the bottom sash and to the interior face of the top sash. Each separate screen is held on a roll rotatably mounted in a housing located at the top and bottom of the window frame, respectively. Such housings are, however, clearly visible on top of the sills and there is no secure connection between the sides of the screen and the guides in which the screen moves that will act as a seal to keep out bugs. The screen is detachable from the sash by disengaging a hooked plate 14 from a fold 13 formed along a plate 12 attached to the interior face of the sash's bottom member.
In Bunnell, U.S. Pat. No. 1,078,827, the leading edge of the screen is retained in a metal bar itself provided with a series of holes. The front face of the sash's bottom member is provided with an equal number of spaced apart screws positioned to coincide with the openings in the metal bar. A series of rotatable levers are mounted on the sash with a free end being spaced outwardly from and movable past the heads of the screws. By positioning the metal bar on the sash with the screws aligned with and entering the holes, rotation of the levers will secure the metal bar in place on the sash thereby securing the screen on the sash. The screen is itself held in a box which is clearly visible on the sill beneath the window.
Groff, U.S. Pat. No. 1,294,094, describes a vertically moving window/screen combination with the screen held on a roll placed in an area located below the sill. The screen is again attached to the front face of the sash and will be raised together with the window. This is accomplished by a chain drive located in a vertical pocket adjacent one side of the window. The sides of the screen again ride within the window track provided on the frame and do not have any means for sealing between the screen and the frame.
In Sandberg, U.S. Pat. No. 1,329,929, another type of window unit including a screen is disclosed and includes pointed rollers provided within the tracks provided for the screen. These rollers engage the screen material to prevent it from pulling out from the track. The screen is again provided on rollers that are spring tensioned to assure wind-up of the screen when the window is closed. The rollers and associated gearing is also positioned directly on the window sill.
McGaw, U.S. Pat. No. 2,261,443, discloses a window unit where the screen includes a u-shaped metal edge that will mate with an inverted u-shaped member fastened to the front face of the sash. When the two u-shaped members are connected together the screen will follow the window. The screen material is also held on a rolled mounted in a separate case or housing mounted directly on the sill in an exposed manner.
In Crocker et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,489, the feature emphasized was the detachability of the screen from the sash. Here the sash is comprised of an extruded metal member provided with a depending flange designed to cooperate with a hook member attached to the leading edge of the screen. A cam type locking member is used to lock the hook in place against the flange so that when the window is moved the screen moves in a coordinated manner. The screen is held on a spring roll mechanism mounted within a housing secured to the side members of the window frame that is also visible from the exterior of the window. Also, there is no seal provided between the sides of the screen and the frame of the window where the screen moves.